Emily Benn

Our Will (collective will?)
One of the many strange things about Nulabour is its stance on the hereditary principle. On the one hand they do all they can to mess up the House of Lords, which was not without faults but working well when they came to power. But on the other hand they are without shame when it comes to finding jobs for their own kith and kin. The ever tedious Tony Benn is always willing to push one of his younger relatives into 'a nice little earner', a job in politics. And of course the ultimate job, seen as a birthright for some Nulabour heavyweights, is a seat in the House of Commons. Philip Gould, the pollster Tony Blair depended on, has watched his daughter, Georgia, try and fail to get a seat. Also Tamsin Dunwoody tried and failed to win her mother's old seat, Crewe and Nantwich.

As said before, strange is the word. Emily Benn, the latest member of Clan Benn with natural governing tendencies, was just three years old when grandpa quit the House of Commons. But there she is with him in tow on the campaign trail without a hint of embarrassment; was he really an advantage? What will she do next, wear her mother's clothes? Very strange as us older folk remember Tony working his socks off to get rid of the family title via Peerage reform; how times change.